Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
SC doesn't have a whole lot in the way of "stereotypical backwoods country and rednecks" which is mostly associated with Appalachia and SC only has a small sliver of that.
SC is Southern for sure, but I've had folks from MS and Memphis tell me we aren't SOUTHERN Southern
You are from there so maybe you are too close to see it, but SC has plenty of stereotypical redneck places (which I don’t normally associate with Appalachia solely or even primarily).
You are from there so maybe you are too close to see it, but SC has plenty of stereotypical redneck places (which I don’t normally associate with Appalachia solely or even primarily).
You are absolutely right, especially in the Sandhills region that extends from the North Carolina border to the Georgia border.
When I think of "poor states", to me New Mexico is front and center. It's just as poor as the aforementioned states, and actually lagging further behind economically. I fully expect NM to overtake MS as the poorest state in the next couple of decades, barring some unforeseen changes in leadership.
I think for most people, Mississippi is more evocative when it comes to environments more characteristic of poverty and you could say the same of West Virginia. But what does poverty in the Desert Southwest and on native reservations look like? I don't have a clue myself and unfortunately much of this is because native peoples are largely ignored in this country.
You are from there so maybe you are too close to see it, but SC has plenty of stereotypical redneck places (which I don’t normally associate with Appalachia solely or even primarily).
I'm well aware of that but he was specifically referring to the rural Appalachia type. "Stereotypical backwoods country and rednecks - probably eastern Kentucky, East Tennessee or southern West Virginia."
Whether originally your stereotype or his, it sounds off. If we are going to dig deep into derisive terms, hillbilly is more likely associated with Appalachia in general.
Whether originally your stereotype or his, it sounds off. If we are going to dig deep into derisive terms, hillbilly is more likely associated with Appalachia in general.
It was his, and I agree with you. But compared to its neighbors NC, GA, TN, and VA, SC has significantly less of them because it barely has mountains.
IMO he could have used his same lines of argument to make a stronger case for GA over SC.
Is it safe to say that Coastal Louisiana and Mississippi are a mix of all three?
No, coastal Louisiana (or you might mean South Louisiana) is too unique culturally to be "classic South". Its a unique subset of Southern culture, just like how Amish country is in the Northeast but its not a typical Northeastern culture. Louisiana doesn't have any aspect of the mountainous south. And honestly I truly enjoy the country/backwoods lifestyle and that should be seen as a positive thing. Most of my friends in WV are very proud to call themselves hillbillies (you have to be from the mountains to be a hillbilly btw, there are no hillbillies in Mississippi or Louisiana or Texas), and that was the most down to Earth place I've ever been.
As for the New South there are shades of that on the Northshore especially St. Tammany Parish and suburban Baton Rouge but even that isn't as generic as Anywhere USA (like the Charlotte or Atlanta suburbs) because even many of the new subdivisions are inspired by Cajun architecture and the food is still unique.
When I think New South I think generic restaurants, no Southern accents, generic plastic looking neighborhoods, etc and an overall lack of traditional Southern culture. Also the lack of Southern hospitality, where people are in a hurry and all about money and speed and where the driving is aggressive and unfriendly and where people don't care to know their neighbors.
On paper, solely looking at stats and numbers and economic indicators and such, Charlotte is a much better place to live than Charleston or Huntington WV. But I would rather live in southern West Virginia or Louisiana any day......
Location: Appalachian New York, Formerly Louisiana
4,409 posts, read 6,542,705 times
Reputation: 6253
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Lennox 70
When I think New South I think generic restaurants, no Southern accents, generic plastic looking neighborhoods, etc and an overall lack of traditional Southern culture. Also the lack of Southern hospitality, where people are in a hurry and all about money and speed and where the driving is aggressive and unfriendly and where people don't care to know their neighbors..
When I think of "New South" I just think of the south but with better infrastructure, economy, and without the classic racism (that includes blacks against whites, btw) and weird anger towards the north over a war nobody alive today was part of.
I don't really think accents and genuine friendliness HAS to go in order to be new south. That's just up to the people themselves no matter where you are.
Aggressive and inconsiderate driving evolved naturally, I don't believe it has anything to do with region. It may be more noticeable in the south because of weather and a lot of flat straight highway, but people are getting more selfish in the first world overall (including you Boomers out there), driving is gonna reflect that.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
